New MacDonald's Farm is an Australian live action children's television program broadcast on the Nine Network from 12 April 2004 to 1 June 2007.
Animatronic designer and puppeteer Ian James Colmer, who also plays the voice of Charlotte the Hen, now runs a film production company Destiny Pictures (www.destinypictures.net).
This is a very basic system, which relies on the character performers off screen to watch and listen to the pre-recorded audio track, and try to sync the mouth movement.
The animals are cable controlled and have limited movement, sometimes requiring the performers to pick them up and physically move them around to create the illusion of life.
Inside their suits, Tim, Nikki, Heidi and John must wear cold vests, which are made of a gel.
After the first season, James Colmer was commissioned to re-design and re-build all the head animatronics, making them lighter, stronger, and easier to maintain.